'Survival Kings' on the Brink: K League R34 Review
Incheon United are 5 points behind with 12 points to play for as Ulsan HD's 5 point lead at the top is cut to 4 in the opening round of the split.
The start of the final split didn’t produce any classics, as the business end of the season brings more caution and anxiety among coaches and players. The weekend began with two 1-1 draws: Pohang and Suwon FC played out their third consecutive draw at the Steelyard, once again with the same scoreline. Daegu earned a valuable point with a late header from Edgar, away at Gwangju.
Saturday saw some big wins, starting with Daejeon defeating Jeonbuk, now in 11th place, and Jeju improving their chances of survival with a 2-1 win at Incheon, plunging the 'survival kings' future in the league into major doubt. Incheon are five points adrift with twelve points left to play for. First vs. second place ended in an entertaining 0-0 draw in Gimcheon.
On Sunday, Gangwon FC closed the gap to Ulsan HD to four points, giving them hope of securing their first-ever title. Their 1-0 win over FC Seoul, and first victory over the capital team this season, came courtesy of a Kim Young-bin header, as FC Seoul were left to rue several missed chances.
Controversies of the Round
A couple of incidents could’ve gone either way. A pull by Lee Gyu-baek on Anderson inside the area was ignored by both the referee and VAR. Additionally, an extremely dangerous overhead attempt that resulted in a yellow card for Jeju saw Incheon United’s Kim Geon-hui take a boot to the face, forcing him to come off early. There was also an early whistle that ruled out an Ulsan HD goal, meaning no VAR check on the offside. The decision was probably correct, but it was hard to tell with the naked eye, and the process was poorly handled.
Referee Chae Sang-hyup has actually been banned before for blowing the whistle early, which prevented a late FC Seoul equalizer against Gangwon FC last year, so it’s a clear weakness in his officiating. Offside calls are a particular frustration of mine in the league, as we often see marginal calls go in favor of the defense or corner kicks not awarded because play is brought back, which negatively impacts the game’s tempo.
Goal of the Round
Jeju’s Italo scored a superb strike after a flowing move that fully took advantage of Incheon’s disorganisation straight after making 3 subs. Lovely pass by Kim Ju-kong, who has been influential off the bench since recovering from his serious knee injury, and the finish was pure tekkers and power.
Player of the Round
Kim Jun-beom (Daejeon Hana Citizen)
A double for the team’s undisputed MVP of the season (one wonders what they could’ve achieved if he hadn’t been injured early on). The first of his brace wasn’t the prettiest of goals, but his second was certainly easy on the eye. In added time, after Daejeon had been under pressure for most of the second half, an excellent break by Anton led to a through ball to Kim Jun-beom, who rounded the goalkeeper and slotted it in from a tight angle. The win earned Daejeon a vital three points and saw them leapfrog their opponents, who dropped to 11th place.
Match of the Round
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 0-2 Daejeon Hana Citizen (Xg 1.9 vs Xg 1.43)
Jeonbuk certainly know they’re in for a battle in their remaining four games, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to the team right below them in the table. These six-pointers don’t always follow the flow of the game, and despite Jeonbuk being the better side, a solid defensive display from Daejeon’s backline and some wastefulness in front of goal from Jeon Byung-kwan and Moon Seon-min cost them. Kim Jun-beom, continuing to be Daejeon’s standout player this season, sealed the game. His second goal in the 94th minute, in front of the traveling Daejeon fans, sent them into raptures and gave them hope of survival, while Jeonbuk dropped to 11th in the table.
MOM Kim Jun-beom
Gangwon FC 1-0 FC Seoul (0.78 Xg vs 0.76 Xg )
A failure in FC Seoul’s analysis and coaching department allowed Gangwon FC to secure their first win in five games over the capital team. Kim Young-bin had given FC Seoul plenty of warning about his threat from corners in the first half. Remarkably, the clock read 45:45 twice for identical chances from the same routine on either side of the halftime whistle. FC Seoul didn’t adjust their defensive coverage to prevent it, and it cost them.
The away side had several chances, with the biggest falling to Jesse Lingard after Kim Young-bin, the eventual match-winner, lost the ball under his own feet. The Englishman attempted to slot it between the goalkeeper’s legs, but Lee Gwang-yeon was alert and made the save for Gangwon FC.
MOM Lee Gi-hyuk (Gangwon FC)
Gwangju FC 1-1 Daegu FC (Xg 0.69 vs Xg 0.38)
There’s not much to say about this game other than the pitch was an utter disgrace—it would be hard to find a worse playing surface in professional world football. Daegu’s Cesinha summed it up perfectly when he said, "What is this place?" Two headers from set pieces tell you everything about the quality of play. The league must step in and penalize home teams that fail to provide suitable conditions for the players.
The poor pitch also increases the risk of injuries, which was evident again as Lee Heui-kyun had to come off at halftime with an injury. Last game, it was Lee Seung-mo, and several Gwangju players have also suffered injuries at their equally subpar training ground.
MOM Edgar Silva (game changer AGAIN)
Gimcheon Sangmu 0-0 Ulsan HD (1.77 Xg vs 1.78 Xg)
A surprising 0-0 draw, despite both sides creating several chances. Ulsan HD had the better opportunities in the first half, while the introduction of Kim Dae-won saw Gimcheon dominate the second. Ludwigson was heavily involved but showed some rust after missing the last few games. The Swede will likely regret not taking advantage of an errant pass from Kim Dong-heon; how he didn’t slip Joo Min-kyu through for a one-on-one is surprising. However, Ludwigson redeemed himself with a superb clearance off the line.
MOM Seo Min-woo (Gimcheon)
Incheon United 1-2 Jeju United (2.09 Xg vs 0.59 Xg )
An inspired performance from An Chan-gi, filling in for the injured Kim Dong-jun in Jeju's goal, prevented Incheon from kick-starting their usual final Split B revival. Incheon’s attack has been blunt for several weeks, but on this occasion, the home team created a number of chances, only for Jeju’s number two to pull off a series of saves. Gerso also hit the woodwork, adding to Incheon’s frustration.
Their defensive woes continued, conceding a second consecutive goal from their own set piece at home. The manager’s late triple substitution didn’t help matters either. Not only was creative option M’Poku left on the bench, but the team became disorganized after the subs, allowing Jeju to capitalize with the goal of the round, scored by their substitute Italo. Jeju can breathe a little easier now, though they are not entirely safe, while Incheon faces a must-win in their next game.
MOM Italo (Jeju United) what a finish!
Pohang Steelers 1-1 Suwon FC (2.15 Xg vs 1.3 Xg )
Déjà vu for Pohang, as they drew 1-1 with Suwon at home for the third time this season. The home side probably should have won all three encounters but once again fell short in the decisive moments. Suwon’s Anderson provided another assist for the equalizer, keeping him in contention for the league MVP. The evergreen Wanderson scored a brilliant opening goal, winning the ball on the edge of the box before curling it into the top corner.
MOM Wanderson/Anderson (Pohang/Suwon FC)